Twin jacks



E. J. WELCIH Aug. 16, v1966 TWIN JACKS Filed March 6, 11 964 E. (J. [U Z-IUH 527i W QF NE 3,267,227 Ce Patented August 16, 1966 3,267,227 TWIN JACKS Edwin J. Welch, Highland Park, N.J., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 350,030 4 Claims. (Cl. 200-5L1) This invention relates to twin jacks, particularly those of the type used in the communication arts.

T win jacks have been used in the termination of transoceanic cable and video circuits providing a dual set of tip and ring springs connected in parallel for various purposes, mainly to test the circuits and to add other equipment in these areas. The present twin jacks consist of dual sets of tip and ring springs with lateral extensions in the areas of their contacts crossing over to their other related springs so as to provide a dual jack with parallel electrical paths. If, for any reason, during the function of the circuits with one portion of the twin jack a failure occurs, the other portion could be utilized and carry the load. A circuit requirement of this type of plug and jack arrangement is that if a plug is inserted in one jack the interconnection between the respective tip and ring contact springs should be broken automatically.

The position of the crossover structures in the area of the contacts makes it difficult to control the necessary contour of the crossover portions and maintain the desired contacts in engagement with their respective springs. This necessitates considerable manual adjusting in assembly for each path.

The object of the present invention is to provide a twin jack which may be assembled readily, economically and be made more efficiently than other known twin jacks.

In accordance with the object the invention comprises a twin jack including a mounting frame with a pair of plug guiding sleeves mounted at spaced positions thereon, and dual sets of tip springs and ring springs mounted on the frame. This structure includes a first crossover element or spring for the tip springs and a second crossover element or spring for the ring springs, these elements having parallel leg portions with contacts at like ends engaging their respective springs and joined at their other ends where they are mounted on the frame.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the twin jack with one portion thereof being exploded to more clearly illustrate the contours of the various parts,

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of one of the crossover elements, and

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the invention.

In the present illustration, the twin jack includes a mounting frame blanked and formed, as shown, of sheet metal and including a main portion 11 having pairs of threaded apertures 12 for pileup assembly purposes, opposing spring alignment notches 14, and fixed insulating plug stops 15. Another portion 16 extending at right angles to the main portion 11, has mounting apertures 17 and is provided with spaced apertures 18 in which plug guiding sleeves 19 are rigidly affixed.

The jack is provided with two sets of tip and ring springs indicated generally at 20 and 21 which are identical in structure. Therefore a description of the exploded set 20 will serve to identify the various parts of the set 21. The set 20 includes a ring spring 22, a tip spring 23, a ground member 24, and insulating spacers 25, all of which have aligned pairs of apertures to receive the insulating sleeves 26 when in stacked or pileup formation as illustrated by the set 21. Mounting screws 27 are fed downwardly through the sleeves 26 to engage the threaded apertures 12 and to secure the members of the set 21 on the frame portion 11.

To complete this structure, and to make it a twin jack, two crossover elements of the type shown in FIG. 2 are provided for the ring springs 22 and also the tip springs 23 of both sets 20 and 21. For the ring springs 22, this element is identified at 32 while the element 33 is provided for the tip springs 23. Each element is provided with parallel leg portions 34 and 35 which are bifurcated to provide dual contacts 36 and 37 for each leg to insure contact reliability between the ring springs in one instance and the tip springs in another instance. The crossover elements positively link the two sets 20 and 21 together electrically in parallel free of adjustments and free of any possible disconnections electrically while in use.

The crossover design for each element is indicated at 38, this structure made more durable by its central hump between the apertures 39. The crossover elements 32 and 33 are mounted in the jack sets 20 and 21 by positioning the elements to receive the sleeves. 26 and their mounting screws 27 through the apertures 39. The contacts 36 and 37 of both elements 32 and 33 normally engage their respective ring springs and tip springs so that the twin jack normally will function to provide the continuation of certain circuits, these con-tinuations through the crossover elements making both portions of the jack available for testing these circuits or for the inclusion of other units or equipment in these circuits.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A twin jack for communication circuits comprising:

a mounting frame having a pair of plug guiding sleeves mounted at spaced positions thereon,

a dual set of tip springs and ring springs mounted on the frame and insulated from each other and the frame,

a first crossover element for the tip springs of each jack having parallel leg portions with contacts at like ends normally engaging their respective tip springs and being joined at their other ends where they are mounted on the frame,

a second crossover element for the ring springs of both jacks having parallel leg portions with contacts at like ends normally engaging their respective ring springs and joined at their other ends where they are mounted on the frame, and

means insulating the tip springs, ring springs and crossover elements from each other.

2. A twin jack for communication circuits comprising:

a first set of tip and ring springs,

a second set of tip and ring springs,

a first crossover spring interconnecting the respective tip springs,

a second crossover spring interconnecting the respec- 'tive ring springs,

each crossover spring comprising a transversely extending connecting portion and a pair of parallel spaced spring engaging sections extending from the connecting portion, the extending sections of the first crossover spring normally engaging the respective tip springs and the extending sections of the second crossover spring normally engaging the respective ring springs, and

means insulating the tip springs, ring springs and crossover springs from each other.

3,267,227 3 3. A twin jack in accordance with claim 2 wherein: one extending section includes a first pair of parallel legs, and

the other extending section includes :a second pair of 1,830,824

parallel legs. 5 2,032,191 each leg having a contact mounted thereon. 2,172,927 4. A twin jack in accordance with claim 2 wherein: 2,864,990

the transversely extending connecting portion is integral with the crossover springs and includes a raised UNITED References Cited by the Examiner STATES PATENTS Copenhaver et al. 179-96 X D. SMITH, JR., Assistant Examiner.

portion intermediate the sets of tip and ring springs. 10 ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TWIN JACK FOR COMMUNICATION CIRCUITS COMPRISING: A MOUNTING FRAME HAVING A PAIR OF PLUG GUIDING SLEEVES MOUNTED AT SPACED POSITIONS THEREON, A DUAL SET OF TIP SPRINGS AND RING SPRINGS MOUNTED ON THE FRAME AND INSULATED FROM EACH OTHER AND THE FRAME, A FIRST CROSSOVER ELEMENT FOR THE TIP SPRINGS OF EACH JACK HAVING PARALLEL LEG PORTIONS WITH CONTACTS AT LIKE ENDS NORMALLY ENGAGING THEIR RESPECTIVE TIP SPRINGS AND BEING JOINED AT THEIR OTHER ENDS WHERE THEY ARE MOUNTED ON THE FRAME, A SECOND CROSSOVER ELEMENT FOR THE RING SPRINGS OF BOTH JACKS HAVING PARALLEL LEG PORTIONS WITH CONTACTS AT LIKE ENDS NORMALLY ENGAGING THEIR RESPECTIVE RING SPRINGS AND JOINED AT THEIR OTHER ENDS WHERE THEY ARE MOUNTED ON THE FRAME, AND MEANS INSULATING THE TIP SPRINGS, RING SPRINGS AND CROSSOVER ELEMENTS FROM EACH OTHER. 